Culture Spain – for all things Spanish » Internet Marketing

Laptop Entrepreneur, the anti-crisis book!

Nick Snelling — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:10:29 +0000

THE LAPTOP ENTREPRENEUR - SHOWING YOU HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE INTERNET TO MAKE A LIVING INDEPENDENTLY.

I am delighted to announce that a book that I have written with a pal of mine, Graham Hunt, has just been published. This is (appropriately) called The Laptop Entrepreneur.

The Laptop Entrepreneur is all about how to earn a living on the Internet and how to use the Web to create or promote your business. It has everything to do with today and the problems that we all face in making a living in these uncertain times.

Certainly, jobs for life no longer exist and even those people with work cannot guarantee that they will remain employed for long – particularly now that the Western World is embroiled in a horrific economic crisis.

So, this is the time to make sure that you either have an income earning ‘Plan B’ in place – or are seriously thinking of working independently and therefore taking your destiny in your own hands.

Of course, the Internet has revolutionised work. Now, you can work independently and, if you know how, to use the Internet to make a living from home (with minute overheads!). Meanwhile, if you already have a business then you will know how critical it is to maximise the Internet to promote your profile and the astonishing way that you can increase your existing sales of goods and services.

The trouble is that, for many people, using the Internet effectively for work purposes can seem overwhelmingly complicated.

This must be true – as few people take full advantage of the web and I never cease to be surprised by how little even large businesses seem to know about exploiting the Internet. You only have to look at a lot of web sites to see that most are little more than inert ‘libraries’ that, in reality, do little or nothing for the business concerned. This is in stark contrast to some well-run Internet businesses that are so ‘savvy’ on the Web that they out-flank much larger (often conventional) competitors!

The Laptop Entrepreneur is available in Print, Kindle or PDF

But how do you start an Internet business and how do you find out how everything works – without being sent reeling by the massive amount of information (often confusing and highly detailed) that is available?

Well, my co-author, Graham Hunt, and I have set out in The Laptop Entrepreneur to provide you with clear and concise ‘road map’ on how to use the Web to earn an income.

Better still, we have written our book for you as the ‘person in the street’ not for some techie with an existing knowledge of computer coding. The latter is not something you do need – thankfully.

On the contrary, as you will see from The Laptop Entrepreneur, you really do not need to be techie at all to be successful on the Internet. However, what you do need to know is how the Internet works and how you can make it work for you. This is what we show you – helped by a number of top Internet ‘Guru’s’ who have built successful businesses and gained independence and freedom from the constraints of conventional life.

In truth, The Laptop Entrepreneur could change your life completely – or transform your existing business!

Find out all about Affiliate Marketing, Blogging, Social Media, Copy Writing and dealing in Domains. Understand how to undertake Market Research for your intended business. Learn about Search Terms and how best to choose and use them – and find out how to create and make your web site work. Meanwhile, obtain access to a range of recommended tools and information that will stop you having to blunder around the Net trying to find the best resources to use.

Can you really do without The Laptop Entrepreneur?

Of course not – if you want to have independence, create your own business or turbo-charge your existing sales. All of that is possible, if you know how – and that is what The Laptop Entrepreneur (print book only £14.99) will tell you!

“A must-read…’ James Parkes www.costa-news.com

“…superb, practical guide…” Steve Hall www.thisisspain.info

“A really excellent piece of work.” Mike Cliffe Jones www.mikeslife.org

“Invaluable” Expatica

“…practical and down-to-earth…” Norman Viss www.isolatedinternationals.com

Nick Snelling of Culture Spain – co-author of The Laptop Entrepreneur available in Print, Kindle or PDF

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Outrage, the Indignado Movement, Ubuntu and a new philosophy

Nick Snelling — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:50:31 +0000

The most notable export that Spain has made over the past year has been the ‘philosophy’ of the Indignado Movement. This has spread like wildfire to many parts of the world including the US (Occupy Wall Street) and the UK (Occupy London Stock Exchange).

Indignado translates as ‘outrage’ and is an apposite name, given the fury of the Indignados at the failure of the Spanish ‘system’ to provide fair and proper governance. Indeed, the lack of it in Spain has resulted in the present desperate economic crisis in Spain with unemployment at 22% and a future for most people that is gloomy, beset by debt and lacking in hope.

Of course, the lunacy of the past few years has not been restricted to Spain.

Indeed, the outrage of the Spanish Indignados is mirrored by the populations of many First World countries who feel betrayed by their governments and the existing democratic system. Self-serving and ignorant politicians, corruption, incompetence, abuse of power, two party politics and the dominance of vested interests have led to an inevitable and terrible economic crash across the Western world. Jobs are being lost, homes repossessed and the future of people, young and old, has been put on hold – possibly for a generation.

And all of this – after a long economic boom!

Clearly, there is something fundamentally wrong, made even worse by the fact that those most responsible for the problems have not even been sanctioned. Governing politicians have retired scot-free, state financial regulators have continued in their jobs and bank directors have left their bankrupt institutions for better work or outrageously lucrative pensions.

Ruin an economy, destroy a business and be negligent seems to be the message and all will be well – with no fear of prison sentences or civil action for negligence or fiduciary mismanagement. So long, of course, as you are a politician, a bank director or a senior state employee too influential or ‘knowledgeable’ to be indicted.

The ‘man in the street’, however, has been left debt burdened, with his business on the point of collapse and his adult children jobless. Stressed and desperate, he has no chance of being bailed out by anyone. In fact, he is somehow expected to ‘tighten his belt’ and bail out his own mismanaged country and the institutions he hates most: the banks and, in the case of EU citizens, the EU and its (unelected) government.

Is there any wonder then that people of all ages are outraged and saying much the same thing – that the system does not work!

Of course, it is not democracy that outrages people but the current operation of the democratic system and this has little to do with the triteness of ‘conservatism’ or ‘socialism’ or other political shades.

Indeed, most people treasure democracy but have no doubts that the democratic system itself is simply not functioning as it should: it is not nurturing people, protecting and caring for them and it is not inclusive, fair and helping people to enrich their lives. In fact, it is the very reverse with the democratic system distorted so much that the welfare of the common man is bludgeoned into irrelevance by vested ‘big’ business interests and the self-serving lunacies of cumbersome central governments run by mediocre politicians.

But is there a better way?

That is the question – and one that has not yet been answered by the Spanish Indignados, within their incoherent fury, or the outraged ‘man in the street’ in other First World countries.

However, there are signs that there are other ways that democracy can work, although they require a change in culture: one centred on inclusiveness and mutual support that can help and enrich everyone – and this has nothing to do with communism!

Two extraordinary examples (Ubuntu and WordPress) can be found on the Internet and these may provide a route map for democratic countries, if the philosophy and actions that they encapsulate can be transposed from cyberspace to the reality of daily living.

On the Internet there is a Content Management System (CMS) called WordPress. This is an amazingly powerful, sophisticated, effective and user-friendly system used by some 14% of all web sites in the world. It is ‘industry’ standard, being continually upgraded by experts and is – free.

Yes, free, to anyone!

Why?

Because WordPress has been developed by experts throughout the world, who have a passion for the Internet and a belief that they can help others by providing a vital resource so good that it can empower all those who use it. The experts involved in WordPress voluntarily provide their time and skill (without centralised leadership), expect no financial reward and do so as their contribution to something that exists to benefit everyone, knowing that, correctly used, any WordPress site can become an income generator. In essence, they are providing, advice, help and solutions freely (with no ‘strings attached’) to a wonderful system that can make people independent – and help them to take charge of their lives and destinies.

Meanwhile, recently another astonishing (free!) resource has made its appearance on the Internet. This is called Ubuntu and is a virus free computer operating system (think Microsoft Windows – but better!) which can be installed on virtually any computer. It is user-friendly, simple to operate, industry standard, fast, secure and stylishly simple– and free! Indeed, not surprisingly, the Ubuntu operating system is already being used by 20 million people worldwide every day.

Why?

For the same reasons as WordPress – because it has been developed and placed on the market by a collaboration of experts who want to make a top quality, essential resource freely available to everyone.

Ubuntu has been ‘led’ by Mark Shuttleworth (one of the first commercial astronauts) who has placed his own resources behind the Ubuntu project, whilst encouraging experts to contribute, for free, across the world. This he has done through a sense of noblesse oblige (having made a fortune earlier in his life) and through a belief in the African philosophy of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu has many meanings but could be said to be: ‘I am because we are’ – a philosophy of stunning simplicity that is all about the inter-connection of individuals within a society and the mutual commitment we all have to help, contribute and enrich each other’s lives. This is in direct contrast to societies in the First World where the credo, so well exemplified by the banks, for example, is that ‘greed is good and damn the consequences’.

So, can the philosophy behind WordPress and Ubuntu be brought to play within the democratic system to make it work as it should?

Yes – but a fundamental change in our culture needs to occur.

We all need to develop a profound sense of Ubuntu and retrieve the qualities of integrity and noblesse oblige that seem to have vanished from our societies over the past few generations. If this is mirrored by our political leaders and industrial oligarchs (and expected of them) then the democratic system will be made to work again. That way, we shall avoid repeating the ridiculous, horribly destructive, man-made crisis that we face now – which has produced such a dangerous (and justifiable) cause for outrage amongst so many people.

Nick Snelling – Culture Spain
Nick is the co-author of The Laptop Entrepreneur
(being published this week!) and several other books.

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Belleza de Lujo Barata – Luxury Beauty Bargains

CultureSpain — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 10:51:20 +0000

The concept of ‘Belleza de Lujo Barata – Luxury Beauty Bargains‘ began when we realized how expensive the products of top branded beauty houses, like Clinique, Lancome and Estee Lauder were in the Spanish beauty stores.

We wanted to introduce a service that would bring all these famous brands to you, the customer, at a more affordable price.

The idea is that any of your favourite make-up items, skin care products, and any perfume can be sourced by ourselves, and then the cheapest possible price will be quoted to you.

The process is easy, you can email us BellezadeLujoBarata@gmail.com with your requirements. We will inform you of the cost, and then payment can be made safely and securely through our Luxury Beauty Bargain Online Shop, using Paypal to pay by a debit/credit card. Your order will then be sent to your home address, or if items purchased are for a gift, they can be specially wrapped and sent to a designated address.

Additionally our shop will stock, on a permanent basis, popular classic products , and any ‘new’ wonder products that would be of interest to our customers.

We will be regularly updating clients on the mailing list and through our Luxury Beauty Bargains Blog, of the latest beauty news and gossip.

We want to offer an excellent personal service, and guarantee to give outstanding value for all your special beauty needs.
This post is also available in: Spanish

Luxury Beauty Bargains

Belleza de Lujo Barata (24)

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Professional Makeup Artist

CultureSpain — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:29:27 +0000

I am a professional Make-up Artist based in Gandía, Valencia, Spain.
I studied make-up in London and have over 10 years experience in various aspects of the industry.
My services are available throughout the La Safor region, Denia, Calpe, Javia/Xabia, Altea, Northern Costa Blanca and beyond to Xativa, Valencia and the interior of the Valencian Community.

I specialize in the following

fashion shoots
fashion shows
portfolio work
theater make-up
film and TV work
weddings and fiestas

Also, available for one-to-one make-up tutorials (home visits), and group tuition.

Please contact Gretel

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Raise your Spanish business profile

CultureSpain — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 08:33:57 +0000

Do you have a business in Spain or are your involved in the sales of products or services that are related to Spain?

Do you want to raise your profile – and increase your sales?

If so, then we may be able to help you!

Culture Spain is a generic site ‘for all things Spanish’, has consistent, high levels of traffic and is a site relevant to anything ‘Spain’ based. As such, we can provide you with excellent Internet exposure.

Have a look at: Valencian oranges as an example of a Post for Brio Fruits Spain, an export company in Gandia. The Post went to Page 1 on Google for several of the main Search terms and provided Brio Fruits with not just a superb profile – but also enquiries from across the world. The same is true for Valencia University Gandia and many other Posts.

Do you want a professionally written and SEO’d article about your business in Spain that will help to promote your Spanish business and your products and services?

If you do – then contact us at Culture Spain and let us help you to raise your profile on the Internet and your sales!

With our partner company Gandia Web Design we can also provide you with an effective, simple to use and powerful web site that will drive ‘traffic’ to your site. Contact us and find out how we can help you…

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AlphaBetel – Transforming Your Social Media Marketing, and beyond!

Nick Snelling — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:00:13 +0000

When a new social networking web site or blog provider starts rolling out their services, there is always a high risk that it will simply be a flash in the pan. Posterous has much more promise than this. Yes, it is a blogging platform, but more on the level of being a content distribution service for social media marketing. Think of what TubeMogul does, but change that into a more interactive process that includes social networking websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and other blog providers such as WordPress, Blogger, TypePad, and even self-hosted Movable Type blogs.

Imagine Having All Your Social Media Efforts Fully Integrated and Being Able to Publish Everywhere Instantly…

That’s what’s at stake. So, let’s say that I have a Posterous account. I would like to post a blog. There are two ways that I can do this. I can either use the web interface in my blogs admin panel, or I can simply e-mail a blog post no matter where I am, and this will be published. I can also attach images to this e-mail, along with video and audio, however this is only the beginning of the process. I can also notify Posterous what other accounts I have elsewhere, and Posterous will automatically update statuses on Twitter, and Facebook. Not only that, but I can also have my blog posts re-posted at other hosted blogs such as WordPress and Type Pad, and even update status messages on YouTube, send images to Picasa, and much more. Currently there are 28 services that are supported, plus the rare feature that allows updating on a custom page that you have created on FaceBook. Normally this is a difficult process, however Posterous have developed an application for doing just this, and it is literally within the click of a button.

Why are so many people talking so highly about Posterous? From an SEO standpoint, if you have a product that you are trying to sell, social media is one of the best-selling tools that you can possibly use. Social Media is a means of creating an online persona that the consumer can relate to, and ask questions. You can also ask the consumer questions, which will in turn result in more interaction. This can be a lengthy process, and a lot of SEO Experts do tend to outsource their social media interactions to other people. Posterous allows for at least 50% of this interaction to be centralized. You write a blog post, all of your followers on Twitter are notified, as are the followers of your other blog on WordPress, and the same for those who are fans of your page on Facebook. This of course can also result in the domination of the front page of your keyword results in Google if you effectively use the right keywords, and can generate valuable back links as well.

Of course, there are many blogging platforms out there such as WordPress, TypePad, Moveable Type, Blogger, and many more. These are all great platforms, which probably plays a good part in the deciding factor as to why all of these platforms are supported by Posterous. The level of control within Posterous is second to none, with custom domain names being allowed, not just in the form of a top level domain name, but also in the way of a subdomain, which is great for those who want a blog sub domain to help boost the credibility of their main domain. Built in analytics is something that is also available, not in the way of their own custom reporting such as what is available with WordPress, but more in the way of Google Analytics. Feedburner is also supported. If you have people who would like to contribute to your Posterous blog, you can also sign them up as a contributor, which will allow them to post via e-mail.

Why not give it a try. Simply send an e-mail to post@posterous.com using your title as the blog headline, and the body of the e-mail as your blog content, and you should get an immediate reply with your new credentials. Told you it was that easy!

AlphaBetel Media Distribution

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Hot Business Topics. Business Procedures and Regulatory Compliance Management

Nick Snelling — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 07:33:58 +0000

AuraPortal has presented a new ‘Hot Business Topic’ in international forums, dedicated to the optimization and automation of Business Regulations using a latest generation BPM Suite.

Whether those regulations relate to Quality, Occupational Safety, Hygiene, Environment, Personal Data Security, Information Security, Basel III, Solvency II, Patriot Act, AML, SOX, etc., using AuraPortal BPM as a platform can help to manage and maintain regulatory compliance in the workplace.

AuraPortal covers the two critical sides of Regulations management:

System Administration for Regulatory Compliance Management

Management procedures and regulatory compliance monitoring will be managed through specific processes, including: documentary cycle to create, review, approve and notify documents, recording of incidents with the approval and monitoring of corrective actions, plans, execution and recording of internal audits, meetings management, training courses and seminars, etc.

Enterprises Business Processes

AuraPortal promotes regulatory compliance, because when designing the many work entity processes, the regulations are taken into account, including the tasks for compliance. These will have their correspondingBusiness Rules, both textual (instructions on the tasks to be carried out by people) and automatic (which run the system without human intervention).Thus, when appropriate, actions will be launched automaticallyto ensure their strict compliance, thereby reducing risk, work (cost) and response times.

In this way, technical instructions and regulation specifications will not depend on personal memory that is needed to apply them, nor will they only appear on paper for their consultation, but will take part in a highly automated set of AuraPortal processes.

The natural result of using this system is the meticulous regulation compliance. The system itself leads to compliance, as it marks the steps to follow.

Awareness of the company direction in compliance with regulations will be reflected in the design itself of administrative processes. The involvement of all users concerned will be maximized, as they will have to follow the instructions in their respective workflow phases.

With AuraPortal’s Extranet, external users can also participate in the business processes, receiving and sending tasks. Thus, both the application of regulations as well as the monitoring will also be transmitted to subcontractors, suppliers (products, equipment or packaging), transport, etc., ensuring full compliance with quality, as well as with suppliers, partners, agents, etc.

ABOUT AURA (AuraPortal)
www.auraportal.com

AURA is a global BPMS (Business Process Management Suite) provider delivering a solution that creates, without the need of IT programming, Business Process Workflow Execution Models. AuraPortal is 100% Web-based, and is complementary to existing ERP and CRM systems.

AuraPortal has a presence in 50 countries with more than 350 customers including, among others: Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay,Toyota, Yamaha, Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), ArcelorMittal, Eletrobras, Royal KPN, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sodexo, etc., as well as many Government Agencies and Departments in several countries.

AuraPortal Headquarters are located in North America (Boston) and Europe (Holland) whereas the software development facilities are located in Spain and India.

See Partners Network and more Customers

AuraPortal is a real Business Process Platform where a set of 6 essential applications share the same environment in a seamlessly integrated and user friendly way: “6 in 1“:

1. Intranet

2. Process Management

3. Document Management

4. Customer Management

5. Content Management

6. Online Commerce

WHAT THE TOP EXPERTS SAY ABOUT AURAPORTAL BPMS:

GARTNER Inc.: “AuraPortal is the Example of Next generation BPMS”. (Magic Quadrant Report 2007 and 2009)

OVUM: “AuraPortal Excels in Ovum’s technology assessment study which was set by a highly competitive field”. “The vendor has demonstrated that its BPM platform can support complex processes and high-throughput scenarios”. (OVUM – Decision Matrix on BPM Vendors 2010)

BPTRENDS: There is a 2010 Report on AuraPortal BPMS published by this prestigious firm. Click here to download the report. (BPM Suites Report 2010)

AURAPORTAL CONTACTS:

Andre Menezes
andre.menezes@auraportal.com
Skype: pmenezes6276
Phone: +1 857 239 0070 or +34 96 295 4497

http://www.auraportal.com

USA: info-us@auraportal.com
The Netherlands: info-nl@auraportal.nl
Spain: info-es@auraportal.com
Middle East: info-me@auraportal.com
Brazil: info-br@auraportal.com

Follow us… Twitter - Facebook - LinkedIn - YouTube - RSS Feed - AuraPortal Blog

MORE INFORMATION:

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Request a Product Demo Online
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Raise your business profile

CultureSpain — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:26:22 +0000

Do you have a business in Spain or are your involved in the sales of products or services that are related to Spain?

Do you want to raise your profile – and increase your sales?

If so, then we may be able to help you!

Do you want a professionally written and SEO’d article about your business in Spain that will help to promote your Spanish business and your products and services?

If you do – then contact us at Culture Spain and let us help you to raise your profile on the Internet and your sales!

The WordPress Multilingual Plugin
WPML
makes it easy to build multilingual sites and run them.
It’s powerful enough for corporate sites, yet simple for blogs,…..

Do you need to reach a wider audience?
Do you need Help to set-up and configure WordPress?
Do you need Help to set-up and configure WPML?

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Valencian oranges

CultureSpain — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 08:48:43 +0000

VALENCIAN ORANGES READY FOR SALE

Valencian oranges are world renowned for their sweetness, size and extraordinary colour. Although they are now grown throughout the world, you can still not better Valencian oranges grown and harvested in their native soil in Valencia, Spain.

In fact, one of the most notable aspects to Valencia Province in Spain is the extensive evergreen citrus groves that extend as far as the eye can see. Here, depending upon the time of year, the landscape can appear, quite literally, orange as the citrus groves become laden with ripened fruit. It is an extraordinary sight and is complemented by the blossoming of the orange trees in April – when the surrounding countryside is filled for weeks with a heady scent that is utterly enchanting!

However, what happens between seeing ripened Valencian oranges on their trees and then their appearance on your supermarket shelves?

Well, the straight answer is that a good deal more work occurs than you could ever imagine! Indeed, ensuring that the Valencian oranges that you buy in the UK or elsewhere are almost perfect – takes considerable work and a high degree of skill.

Recently, I was taken around a processing factory in Gandia, Valencia Province to see what occurs after the oranges have been picked. Brio Fruits was the perfect place to go, as the company have been operating for the past thirty five years. They also have a justified reputation for producing the highest quality Valencian oranges available to the market.

Indeed, Brio Fruits success stems from ensuring that their oranges have the highest standards of quality control available – and the chances are that you will have come across them yourself. Almost certainly, you would recognise them for their almost flawless colour, immaculate texture and, needless to say, succulent taste.

“Quality control is everything when it comes to providing the market with top quality fruit,” states Louis González, sales manager for Brio Fruits. “In fact, in the business, we say that consumers ‘eat with their eyes’! So, not only do we have to ensure that the oranges are good to eat – they must also look perfect.’

ULTRA VIOLET LIGHT TO HELP FIND DEFECTIVE VALENCIAN ORANGES

To achieve success at the top end of the market means that Brio Fruits have had to construct their sales around a factory that does far more than merely obtain local oranges from farmers and then distribute them to international supermarkets. In fact, their Valencian oranges go through 11 stages before being placed into delivery lorries to take them to their end destination..

Valencian oranges – the process from picking to packaging

1. Harvesting the oranges.

The harvesting of the oranges is undertaken by Brio Fruits – not the farmer. This is so that only the best oranges are chosen and that the oranges are harvested at exactly the right time. Equally, the way that the oranges are removed from the trees is vital. If they are not reoved correctly then the oranges can be damaged. Commonly, this occurs when the person cutting the oranges grazes or punctures the skin .

2. Receipt and storage of the oranges

Valencian oranges normally arrive from the citrus groves in a a 20’ lorry, which will typically hold some 17 tons of oranges in plastic crates. These are off loaded and placed into cold (not freeezing!) storage. They are left there for the shortest possible time before being transported to a special size testing section. This machinery measures the oranges if they are from a different area than those going through the main factory at the time. Once the sizing has been assessed, the oranges go through their first selection process.

3. 1^st Selection

The oranges are tipped onto a conveyer belt which washes the oranges before they are transported on a conveyer belt beside workers who remove any obviously defective oranges. One area has an ultra-violet light that shows up marks and defects making it easier for other workers to see any problem oranges.

4. Brush cleaning

The oranges travel through a section that brushes the oranges clean before transporting them onwards

5. Vegetable wash

This is an inert wash that brings out the colour of the cleaned oranges.

THE CONTROL ROOM - SORTING VALENCIAN ORANGES BY COLOUR AND SIZE

6. Drying area

The oranges are dried and now appear on the conveyor belt – positively glowing with colour!

7. Sizing and hi-tech. quality control

The oranges now pass through an extraordinary hi-tech machine which photographs each and every orange (three times) as it passes by! This machine (incredibly!) weighs each orange, measures its diameter and assesses it for defects internally – particularly to see if it has suffered from frost damage. Any defective orange is separated and binned.

CRITICALLY IMPORTANT EXPERT QUALITY CONTROL

8. Hand checking of oranges

The oranges continue along a conveyor belt which divides the oranges into four areas, each of which has workers physically checking the oranges. Defective oranges are re-directed and some oranges that have been mistakenly marked as defective are returned to the main conveyor belt. According to Louis González this element of the quality control is vital. ´The machines are brilliant,’ he says, ‘but for ultimate quality control there is nothing better than skilled eyesight and touch from a professional orange quality control expert to find defects’.

9. Sizing and colour control

The remaining, quality oranges then go through another hi-tech machine which sorts the oranges by pre-programmed size and colour.

10. Packaging

The oranges (now sorted by size and colour) are directed to the packers. These carefully select the oranges (removing any defective ones that have escaped the attention of the machines and other quality control experts) and pack them into cardboard crates.

PACKING VALENCIAN ORANGES

11. Final packaging

The oranges in their crates now proceed down the conveyor belt to where they are labelled, finally checked (looking brilliant!) and transported to the waiting lorries.

The activity at Brio Fruits in fascinating and the degree of quality control extraordinary. However, the speed and efficiency of all of this is impressive with the time taken between an orange entering the factory and leaving it fully checked and packaged – taking little more than an hour.

In fact, the factory can handle some twelve tons of oranges an hour – which amounts to something like 9,250 oranges! Annually, Brio Fruits will deal with some 12 thousand tons of oranges…

BRIO FRUITS

The interesting thing about the quality control of Valencian oranges is that about half of all the oranges picked never reach the supermarket shelves. This is due to natural defects, transport inefficiencies – and the overriding demand for perfection by the end-consumer (or at least the supermarkets buying the Valencian oranges).

Finally, one of the unknown (to me) complications for any fruit distributor is the market itself. ‘The price and demand for Valencian oranges,’ says Louis González, ‘changes daily. This means that we have to react to the market constantly – which can be very stressful. I am constantly in the factory finding out what is going through the system and what we have and how to sell it at the best possible price.’

Clearly, selling quality Valencian oranges is not simple. However, the sheer enthusiasm of the staff at Brio Fruits was impressive – together with their obvious pride in being the producers of the best quality oranges in the world.

LOUIS GONZALEZ, BRIO FRUITS FACTORY PRODUCTION MANAGER AND NICK SNELLING

‘I have worked here for the past eight years and I love the work,’ says Louis. ‘You know, I can tell from my office what is happening in the factory just from the sound it makes. It is like an orchestra, as different machines start up and the factory foreman changes staff from one place to another. I can tell just which type and size of oranges or other fruit are being processed and, from that, what the international market is asking for at the time.’

Fascinating!

Meanwhile, I now have a crate of absolutely perfect and salivatingly fresh Valencian oranges at home. This crate was picked at random by the factory floor manager and given to me whilst I was photographing the finished crates. Frankly, the oranges look too perfect to eat – but then the chances of them remaining untouched, once my wife sees them, are slim indeed…

If you need to know more about oranges in Spain (or Valencian oranges in particular) and you are an importer of oranges – then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Nick Snelling - Culture Spain

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SANGUINELLI
spain fruit exporters
spanish fruit exporters
spanish fruit wholesale
spanish oranges
spanish oranges wholesale
Valencia
VALENCIA LATE
Valencia Oranges
valencia oranges manufacturers

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